Naradhip Centre for Research in Social Sciences : Linguistic and Cultural Heritage Site

Abstract

            Naradhip Centre for Research in Social Sciences is an agency under the supervision of National Library of Thailand, Fine Arts Department. It was established to honor Prince Naradhip Prabandhabongse in his capacity as a great dramatist of the nation, particularly in the genre of sung drama (lakhon rong), who created a vast legacy of theatrical works as part of the nation's intellectual heritage. It was also established to honor Major General H.R.H. Prince Wan Waithayakon, Kromamun Naradhip Bongsprabandh , in their capacities as eminent figures of the nation, being scholars, statesmen, diplomats, philologists, and literary authors whose distinguished records and works are internationally recognized, and whose collections have been donated by their descendants to the National Library of Thailand. The Centre is also responsible for collecting, organizing, preserving, and providing access to books, printed materials, and electronic resources related to the social sciences.

          In addition to providing social sciences information resources, Naradhip Centre for Research in Social Sciences holds the largest collection in the social sciences category. Within this category, the majority of materials are related to law, including various rare legal texts suitable for researchers and scholars seeking to study the history of law from the past to the present. A survey reveals that the next largest collections are in the categories of religion, history, and literature, each of which contains valuable and exceptionally rare documents and publications.

          A study of the biography of Prince Naradhip Prabandhabongse reveals that he was the Father of Thai sung drama, having composed hundreds of sung drama works. As for Professor Major General H.R.H. Prince Wan Waithayakon, Kromamun Naradhip Bongsprabandh, he was a distinguished philologist who served as President of the Royal Institute of Thailand and the Siam Society. He authored numerous works on linguistics, history, and other subjects. Throughout his lifetime, he accumulated an extensive personal collection of books and texts, which upon his passing, his descendants donated to National Library of Thailand, Fine Arts Department, to serve as a centre for academic research and study. It can therefore be concluded that Naradhip Centre for Research in Social Sciences is a repository of linguistic and cultural intellectual heritage worthy of preservation and further development for future generations.